The University School boys’ tennis team took 3rd place in the Jim Laing Invitational Tournament on Friday April 5th and Saturday, April 6th at the Pleasant Valley Tennis Club in Jackson.

As they often do, the Wildcats began their season by playing in the tournament named after the school’s long time coach, Jim Laing. Each year USM invites some of the top teams in Division 2 to compete in the tournament.

This year was no exception. The Wildcats hosted teams they frequently play in the WIAA D2 state tournament at the end of the season. The invitational is a good test to see where the players stand at the beginning of the season and what they, and the team, need to work on during the season.

Matt Flack, USM’s head coach, explained, “We are still experimenting with the lineup and plan to take a look at a few other players in different positions as we go throughout the next couple weeks. We are excited about the youth on this team, and our senior leadership will help mentor those young players.”

As Flack said, the Wildcats tried different combinations of players throughout the tournament, seeing what might work against their high-level opponents.

In their first round, the Wildcats lost to Green Bay Notre Dame, a perennial state tournament opponent, 6-1. They then played another rival, Madison Edgewood. USM won that match, 4-3.

USM’s third match was against Kohler; the Wildcats won, 5-2. The Wildcats lost their final match to Brookfield Academy, 5-2.

USM ended with a 2-2 dual match record and the USM players won 13 of the 28 individual matches they competed in during the weekend.

The Wildcats will continue their search for the best when they play another solid D2 foe, Kenosha St. Joseph, in a dual match at 4:15 p.m. on Thursday, April 11th at USM